"My daughter was 15 when a man without scruples or feelings did this thing to her, said Carmen Torres, sitting at the kitchen table in a small house on the outskirts of the island's main village, her eyes cast downwards to the floor. He knew what he was doing. But these are children, and they are so vulnerable to manipulation, she said."
"Last year, Carmen's daughter and two of her school friends were drugged and taken to El Mango, where just a short walk from the viewpoint, the undergrowth is littered with dirty mattresses and discarded condoms. All three girls were sexually abused and raped. Ecuador's Galapagos Islands are a protected national park and Unesco World Heritage site, whose rich, unusual fauna played a pivotal role in Charles Darwin's theory of evolution."
El Mango viewpoint on Isla Isabela offers panoramic views of mangroves and shores but was the scene of a violent crime. A 15-year-old girl and two school friends were drugged, taken to the site and sexually abused and raped. The Galapagos Islands are a protected national park and Unesco World Heritage site with some 33,000 human residents. A 2019 UN report notes tension between the conservation image and local socioeconomic needs, especially for women. The small island population fosters secrecy and stigma; victims who report face threats, harassment and accusations, deterring many from speaking out.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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